Happiness is Under Your Feet

Where are you looking for happiness?

Are you working hard to create a bright future? Do you believe that you can’t be happy, unless this future becomes a living reality?

Do you believe that happiness comes after a long period of suffering?

Attention, my friend. You are depriving yourself from happiness.

Here is an astonishing fact:

“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.” – J. Robert Oppenheimer

You are the one who has the power to grow happiness in your life. Happiness is a choice not a result. You choose to be happy.

I want you to do this simple exercise. Think about 10 things that you are most grateful for in your life.

How do you feel?

Life is not too bad, right?!

The negative circumstances have the power to dominate your thoughts and make you feel that everything in life is bad. It hinders you from creating happiness in your life. You always feel like you shouldn’t be happy, right now, just because your ideal future is not manifested.

Choose to be happy now. Here is another exercise.

Smile!! Yes, I mean it. Smile

How do you feel?

Do you want another exercise? OK, here it is…

Look at a picture of a smiling baby, or listen to a baby when he laughs.

How do you feel?

My friend, happiness is under your feet. Choose to be happy, now!

www.selfimageimprovement.com

What It Means to Commit

In these times when divorce and separations are so common, celebrating more than five years of marriage is surprising. A dozen years seems to border on a miracle! No relationship is 100% perfect for sure, but it takes a little bit of extra to stay married that long. One such extra effort is commitment.

What do you need to commit most to get a shot in a marriage for life? Commit your time and feelings.

Quality time to spend with your love ones is never wasted. It could be a couple of hours or a couple of minutes to talk about what’s happening and share problems, hopes and dreams. It would also be great if you can find some common interest that you can both spend time together doing. You might have different hobbies for example, but if you try and find out how your partner enjoys that hobby, you might learn to like it to. Or you could just enjoy being silent together – reading books or watching movies side by side. When you commit time into your relationship, you would be surprised by the things you’ll learn by being together now that you’re married. You also keep lines of communication better that way and many couples say that’s the key to the best kind of relationship.

Commitment is another term for promise. And you know what they say about promises – it’s not meant to be broken. It’s also not meant to be done lightly. You see, commitment entails giving more than you have ever done before. You have to hang on from the start and don’t let go when things get shaky. Never ever hesitate to do your best to make your relationship work. Like cheating and mistrust, divorce and separation should be terms that should not easily come into your vocabulary. Instead, choose to look for the positives in each other – be it a good steady income or having a fantastic sense of humor – and focus on it. Be a partner in the true sense of the word – someone to lean on to; someone to boost the other up; and best of all, someone to share a lifetime with.

So whether you said your vows in front of a priest or a rabbi or a monk or a justice of the peace, commit your all to fulfilling them in the best way that you can. You’ll find that there’s no effort at all to commit 5, 10 or 50 years together.

Is It Okay If I’m Happy?

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” - Albert Schweitzer

How many of you out there can honestly say that you are happy? It all depends on how you define happiness. In the West, people could be said to be more materialistic – putting a high personal and emotional value on material wants. They keep acquiring more and more things, thinking that each new acquisition makes them happy. But there are still people who, despite their material riches, are not happy.

“Happiness” for some people might be a new car, or a new house, or a collection of CDs of their favorite artists. It could be more money in the bank or a personal yacht. But such “happiness” is fleeting and, once you get in the habit of acquiring things to make you happy, is an expensive habit to maintain. You fall into the trap of wanting more and more things to sustain the feeling of “happiness”. That kind of “happiness” is prevalent in our world today – which may explain why stores are full of things and gadgets that are supposed to make us content.

Think of the late billionaire Anna Nicole Smith, who died of a drug overdose. If she was really happy having billions of dollars to spend, why would she resort to using illegal drugs? Perhaps there was something missing in her life which she thought illegal drugs could supplant. Of what use are her billions of dollars to her now?

Perhaps Albert Schweitzer was right when he said: “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”

A good example of someone who knew that service to others is the way to happiness is the late Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She found happiness by serving the outcast of Calcutta, India. And not only did she find happiness, she also made many friends in that country – including Indians who were not Catholics but Hindus who supported her mission.

So, if you wish to gain happiness for yourself, try serving other people who are in need of your help. Maybe there won’t be monetary gains, but the psychic rewards will overwhelm you.

Go ahead and try it and let me know.

Remember Live Your Life By Choice, Not By Chance.

www.selfimageimprovement.com